Just returned from a 10 day cruise. This was our first time on Celebrity. A warning for you non-smokers. If you are sensitive to smoke, make sure you are not on the left side of the ship, as the smell was ever present in the ventilation system on the lower decks. I would also highly recommend purchasing travel medical insurance. I developed bronchitis on this cruise and was out of pocket $264.00. Fortunately, I did buy this coverage, (not through the cruiseline)and I will be reimbursed for these expenses. Staff service in various departments, regarding friendliness and assistance to issues that arose, however, was inconsistent. I was not impressed with the cabin attendants service. Make sure the cabin staff does an inventory of the minibar in your presence, before they lock it. Also, make sure it is agreed the robes and beachtowels are accounted for with the cabin staff, before you disembark. We were charged for items we did not take or use, and did not find out about these charges until we got home. Beware of the shore excursions in Acapulco, Matzalan, and Puerto Vallarta. Not much bang for the buck. Be prepared for confusion on disembarkation day. It is not well organized for bus transportation to the airport. Allow yourself plenty of time for flights if you are departing home on the same day. No one is allowed to leave the ship until everyone on board is processed through customs. Several individuals missed their flights, due to inconsiderate passengers. The entertainment, food, and dining room service was very good. Dru, our cruise director was wonderful. Of course, everyone has their own feedback to cruise experiences. This is mine. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Lynn Maloney

Lynn, thanks for the report. Were there many folks on board that became ill?

Tom

My partner and I were also on this cruise. He also became ill with a severe chest cough 4 days after boarding. There were quite a few people on board with coughs - dont know how many though.
As far as the cruise goes, I did a review which you can read but it was far from the experience I expected on what is supposeed to be a Premium Cruise Line. RCL was much better. Organization for disembarkation at ports of call and on trying the leave ths ship were awful. The food was o.k. but no better than RCL/HAL/Princess. The shipped docked at 7am and the first person off was after 10am. We were among the first and actually got in a taxi at 10.30am- As Non US citizens we were subjected to long Immigration lines, poorly organized on the ship and the 4/5 officers were likely late arriving on board and also slow in moving people. Frankly, many of those in the line agreed that they would opt for Europe in future. Its much, much easier and friendlier.

Hello,

I sailed on the Mercury last December and I had a excellent cruise overall. All cruise lines/ships will have negatives and positives and everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, I have been on 12 cruises including all of the majors and the Mercury was up there among the best. Over the years Celebrity has provided value for money, that is, you got an excellent cruise for a very reasonable price. For those who expect the best in terms of service, food, amenities, and so on should pay for it on the luxury cruise lines whose ships are designed for luxury cruises.

It never fails to amaze me that when someone writes anything negative about a cruise ship there are those who feel the need to criticize the writer - or try to make the complaint an issue of price. It costs absolutely nothing to be organized and ensure easy disembarkment at ports of call and on returning. Even the cheaper cruise lines - Carnival for one, manage to do that. I suppose if you are used to eating at McDonald's or Burger King then the food on this ship was absolutely wonderful. Its all a matter of what you are used to I suppose.

Hello,

There was nothing negative in my reply to "Mike". My wife and I enjoyed our cruise on the Mercury and "Mike" and his partner did not. I hope that Mike and his partner have better luck on their next cruise (let's hope they have a McDonald's and Burger King on their next cruise ship for Mike and his partner to enjoy).

Fred

We cruised on the Mercury in October 2005 and Fruby in December 2004 - isn't it a possibility that things have deteriorated since then? Certainly many many people on this cruise thought that it had. As for MacDonalds and Burger King I was merely pointing out that one's expectation relative to food presentation and quality is based upon what you are used to eating. In the case of Mercury the food was o.k. but just o.k. it did not have the wow factor we expected and was certainly no better than RCL or Princess. For a Premium Cruise lkine I guess we expected tool much.

Mike, your reasoning is correct. Each ship is different and each ship under a different Captain is different. I experienced this on the Millennium this year. I cruised her last yeat and it was absolutely wonderful. This year was great, but much different.

I think you make a valid point.

Tom

Hello,

I believe that both Mike and Tom are correct...a cruise ship can deteriorate in quality because of a change in chefs, chief Stewards, hotel managers, and even cruise directors, and maintenance being postponed. My point though is this..it has been my experience that Celebrity delivers a nice cruise experience at a reasonable price. And those interested in taking a cruise should consider/research going on a Celebrity ship, as part of their cruise planning.